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Kacho Sikander Khan Sikander (1917-2007) was an eminent
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
n writer from
Kargil District Kargil district is a district in Indian-administered Ladakh in the Kashmir#Dispute, disputed Kashmir-region,The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the ...
of
Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory and constitutes an eastern portion of the larger Kashmir region that has been the subject of a Kashmir#Kashmir dispute, dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and India an ...
. His work ''Qadeem Ladakh - Tarikh-o-Tamaddun'' is a major study of the history of Ladakh from the time people settled in the region up to the post-
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
era.


Early life

Sikander Khan belonged to the ''Gasho'' family of Chiktan. Born in 1917 he was the eldest son of Kacho Isfindyar Khan. His mother belonged to the family of the Raja Haider Khan of Tambis. There were no schools in his village so at the age of nine he was admitted to a school in the Kargil town so that he could get modern education. His father made him stay with a simple household, the ''Abaa pa'' of the Aba Grong, a small locality in the vicinity of
Kargil Kargil or Kargyil is a City in Indian-administered Ladakh in the disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the WP:TERTIARY, tert ...
town. When he was in the 9th standard, his father died, and he and his mother had to shoulder the responsibility of the family. After the death of his father, he had to leave his education half way and had to return to his native village. He was then married to Roqiya Begum, who belonged to the ''Wazir'' family of Pashkyum. Later, he studied at the S.P College, Srinagar and then went to
Amar Singh College Amar Singh College, is an academic and professional college in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is the second oldest college in the Kashmir Valley after Sri Pratap College. History It was established in November 1913 as Amar Singh Tec ...
, Srinagar.


Career


As a public servant

In 1947, due to the turmoil that followed the
Partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...
and the
First Kashmir War First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...
he could not sit for his B.A. exams. He came back to his village where he helped among others his brother Mehdi Ali Khan in keeping peace intact in the aftermath of the ongoing turmoil. Prior to that, he got appointed as a teacher at
Leh Leh () is a city in Indian-administered Ladakh in the Kashmir#Kashmir_dispute, disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the WP:TE ...
in 1940. He had a good command over the
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and
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languages. In the late forties, he gave up teaching after he was unable to return to Leh following winter vacation in his native village because of the occupation of Kargil by the
Gilgit Scouts The Gilgit Scouts was a paramilitary force within the Gilgit-Baltistan region in northern Pakistan. They were raised by the British Raj in 1913, to assist the Gilgit-based British Political Agent in managing Gilgit Agency which formed the northe ...
who had invaded the Ladakh region on behalf of
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
. Later, he joined the Kashmir Administrative Service and remained in government service for thirty-four years until his retirement. He served in the capacities of treasurer, Naib-Tehsildar and then became the Tehsildar. He was the ''Mohtamin-e-Bandobast'' at Srinagar and retired as an Assistant Commissioner in 1980 and returned to his village.


As a writer

His first book, an Urdu translation of a Ladakhi epic of ''"Nurboo Zangpo and iThoq Lhamo"'' came out in 1978. It was published with the help of the Jammu and Kashmir Cultural Academy. He was awarded for this book by the
Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...
Urdu Academy Urdu Academy is the term used for various state academies, institutes & agencies set up by the respective governments for the promoting, preserving and developing Urdu language and the traditions & culture associated it. India Most of these acade ...
. His next book ''"Qadeem Ladakh - Tarikh-o-Tamaddun"'' ("Ancient Ladakh - History & Civilization") came out in 1987. For this book he collected all the previous works done on the history of Ladakh and added a critical and well researched view of his own. He discusses the ''"Asaar-e-Qademaah"'', folk songs and ''"Dev Malas"'' with great details. The books' introduction reads, He followed it up with a study on Ladakhi folklores in his third book entitled "Ladakh in the Mirror of Her Folklores" in the year 1997 which, after a broad survey of Ladakhi culture, included English translations and transliterations into Roman script of 100 Ladakhi folksongs. His fourth book, ''Afkaar-e-Parishan'', is an autobiography which also contains a number of Urdu poems. Sikandar Khan was pained by the erosion of Ladakh's traditional communal harmony, the deterioration of moral values and growing corruption in society. His autobiography sheds light on his views on these matters. He left one more text, Gachu Lha Brok, which is yet to be published. ''Gachu'' is the name of the ''broq'' (summer pasture) of Yokma Kharboo, the village where he spent his childhood. It has many features that are related to the epic Kesar Saga.


Later years

Later in his life, he acted as the patron of the
International Association for Ladakh Studies International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...
.
Tashi Rabgias Tashi Rabgias (1927 - 30 October 2020) was an Indian scholar and historian who belonged to the Union Territory of Ladakh. He was a scholar of Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. He commanded great expertise over the Ladakhi language, Bhoti language ...
, a contemporary historian belonging to the neighboring Leh district, is now the only living patron after Sikander Khan's death.


Bibliography

Source: * ''Nurbu Zangpo and Ithoq Lhamo '' (1978) * ''Qadeem Ladakh, Taarik-o-Tamaddun'' (1987) * ''Ladakh in the Mirror of her Folklores'' (1997) * ''Afkaar-e-Pareshan'' (2004) * ''Gachu Lha Broq''( UNPUBLISHED)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Kacho Sikander 1917 births 2007 deaths Ladakhi people People from Kargil People from Ladakh People from Kargil district Himalayan studies